


If it Was Going to Kill You Boy, It Would Have by Now

by Restekel



Category: The Last Kids on Earth (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Apocalypse, Blood and Injury, End of the World, Fever, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Jack Needs a Hug, Nightmares, Pain, Poisoning, Team as Family, Tears, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:28:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27666802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Restekel/pseuds/Restekel
Summary: Jack can't catch a break, first Rezzoch, now venomous spines.Or Jack gets hit on a mission and the group has to figure out a cure before time is up.
Relationships: Dirk Savage & Jack Sullivan, June Del Toro & Dirk Savage, June Del Toro & Jack Sullivan, Quint Baker & Dirk Savage, Quint Baker & Jack Sullivan, Quint Baker & June Del Toro
Comments: 7
Kudos: 45





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to a "Theres absolutely no content for this fandom" induced fan fiction. Please enjoy another round of my crazy thoughts of hurting my favourite characters for my own kicks.
> 
> Title for fic is from Black Box Warrior by Will Wood (Highly recommended song)

No matter how many times the group had told Jack no more solo, he still continued to go off on his own. They discovered a new type of monster lurking around their home, and had all wanted to do their research on it before challenging it to a fight. Jack had other ideas, he'd disappeared in the middle of the night to prevent it from hurting his friends.

It was Dirk who discovered that Jack had left without any backup, he'd gotten up with a startle when Rover had gone over the fence with a clatter. Dirk rushed over to his window just in time to see the pair run off down the street towards a screeching sound.

He'd quickly alerted the other two residents, getting them up and out of the treehouse almost ten minutes after Jack had left. The group took Big Mama, as they knew it would be the only way to catch up to their friend.

It didn't take the three teens long to find their friend once they realized his absence in the treehouse, they could hear the battle between Jack and another monster from over the sound of Big Mamas engine. They pulled up to the scene with a screech of the tires, hurrying out of the vehicle anxiously as they watched Jack jump from the roof of a building onto the monster.

"JACK!" Quint shouted, regretting his decision immediately as Jack's focus changed from the monster to his family momentarily. 

The distraction was all the monster needed to fling the small teen off of it and onto the floor. Jack landed with a thud, rolling out of the way of the large paw coming at him.

Quint, Dirk, and June quickly joined into the fight, raising their own weapons against the monster to help out their friend. 

"What are you guys doing here!" Jack grunted as he jumped out of the way of another counter attack. "I was doing fine on my own! You all could get hurt!"

"Yea! Well what happened to us going after this thing together!" June sneered, landing a hit on the beast as if she was taking her anger out on her friend.

"Not cool man." Dirk replied, throwing a chunk of rubble at the monsters eye to distract the creature.

Jack grumbled at his team, even though he knew they were right. 

"Get down friends!" Quint yelled, pointing towards the monster as spikes appeared out of its back.

The group made their way to cover, behind one of the buildings in the area. The streets becoming littered with spikes as the monster shot them at the teens.

Once the group knew that they were in the clear of more spines they rushed back out into the clearing. They quickly resumed their original positions around the large creature.

Jack stabbed the monster in the foot with his slasher, backing away quickly to avoid another swipe from the massive paw.

The beast reloaded its spikes, the group only having a moments notice before they were getting shot at again.

Jack cried out as one of the monsters large spines embedded itself next to his right hip. He stumbled the moment he attempted to take a step, white hot pain making its way down his leg.

He collapsed onto the ground, taking a moment to watch his friends, he could tell that they were struggling against the creature, he couldn't stop because of an injury, Junes yelp as she was tossed strengthened his resolve to get into the field once more, he told himself that the wound didn't even look too bad.

Jack took a shuddered breath and picked himself back up, using the adrenaline to keep himself going until his friends were safe from the monster. He stumbled once or twice more, before running towards the creature.

Grabbing his trusty broken baseball bat, he used as much strength as he could to slide under the beast and slash the stomach open.

His vision wavered as he crawled out from the downed monster, feeling the spine in his hip more as the moment went on.

When he looked up at his friends their faces only showed the disappointment for his actions. He was still sitting on the concrete, the feeling of blood dripping down his leg making him feel uncomfortable.

"Why would you go off on your own friend? I thought we were a team." Quint spoke, looking hurt that his best friend would abandon him.

"Yea man, you're the one always telling us that we've gotta stick together." Dirk insisted, his hands on his hips trying to look more intimidating.

"Of all the foolish things Jack! We all agreed that we would work on this quest together! Why would you go off on your own!?" June demanded, getting frustrated enough to push Jack back to the ground as he was getting up. 

Jack let out a ragged scream as the wound was agitated, the rest of the teens becoming concerned when their team mate didn't pick himself up.

"Jack? Buddy, are you ok?" Quint hurried over to the photographer, placing his hand on Jacks shoulder to try to get him to respond.

June gasped as she noticed the blood starting to pool underneath their friend, she joined Quint to help him check over a now shivering Jack.

"Is- Is he alright?" Dirk asked, hesitant to join the trio.

"I'm fine guys." Jack responded, heaving in breaths as another wave of pain washed over his body.

"You're not fine Jack! You have a large spike impaled in you, and you have the nerve to tell us you're fine!" June ranted, exaggerating her movements to get her point across. 

Quint and Dirk helped the teen sit against an abandoned car, it made it easier for the group to get to the wound to patch it up until they got back to the treehouse. Jack yelped at the movement in his hip.

Dirk went to remove the spine that was still in Jacks hip, Quint quickly stopping the action.

"Why? It seems to be hurting him, so why can't we take it out?" Dirk asked, pointing towards the injury.

"We don't have the supplies with us to patch up the wound until we get back to the treehouse. It may hurt, but it's the only thing keeping Jack from bleeding out at the moment." Quint responded, going through Jacks discarded backpack to look for the bandage they all carried around. "For now, we need to wrap it tight and get him home."

Dirk bent down to grab the boy on the floor once the injury was wrapped up, Jack raised his hands to decline the offer of an easier ride.

"I can-" Jack started before he was cut off by June.

"No. There is no way that you will be walking on that leg." Jack shut up pretty quickly and allowed Dirk to assist his trek back to Big Mama.

The team was quiet throughout the walk, all the could be heard was the scuffle of feet on the pavement, and the stagger of Dirk and Jack.

The silence of the group was broken within a few minutes of the hike towards their home.

"I- I feel woozy." Jack mumbled, as he stumbled within Dirks grasp. The group coming to a halt once they noticed their friends quickly dwindling condition.

"Hey, hey you're alright man." Dirk panicked.

Jack grunted as his eyes fluttered shut, his body crumpling like a rag doll. The trio around him scrambled to catch the unconscious teen before he hit the ground.

Dirk managed to grab onto the boy, slowly lowering him to the pavement to help lessen the impact.

"We need to get him to the treehouse, pronto!" Quint gulped, taking in the battered form of his best friend.

Dirk nodded sharply. Easily grasping Jack from underneath his knees and back, he stood up and continued the rest of the trek to their vehicle, making sure that he was careful of the wound on the smaller boys hip for the whole walk back.

Quint and June hovered around the duo, their concern for their family member increasing by each step. They made sure to clear the way of any zombies or smaller monsters to make it easier for Dirk to keep Jack safe.

After what felt like an hour, but was only a couple minutes before they reached Big Mama, June jumped into the drivers seat during the time that Quint and Dirk hefted Jack into the back seats. Dirk moved to the passenger side of the vehicle, while Quint hopped into the back with Jack, it was more of a comfort for the scientist to be close to his best friend rather than to keep an eye on the injured teen.

Dirk turned around in his seat to face Quint, feeling sympathetic as he spotted the tear tracks on the smaller boys face.

"He's gotta be alright, this is Jack we're talking about." Dirk remarked, hoping to ease the worry from Quint. "I mean, the man has literally forced the destroyer of worlds out of his mind, he's a lot stronger than he looks... Just don't tell him I said that."

Quint smiled sadly at the words of his former bully. "You're going to be alright buddy."


	2. Chapter 2

The gang rapidly made their way up into the treehouse with Jack in tow. 

Rover followed the group until the entrance of the fort, where he stayed close enough to keep an eye on his master.

"The couch is probably the best place to put him." June dictated, encouraging the team to move over to the piece of furniture.

Dirk carefully settled Jack onto the couch, backing away to let Quint look at the damage.

Quint gasped at the sight of the wound once it was unwrapped. "No..." His hopes that his friend would be fine after the puncture dwindled at the sight of the neon green veins spreading from the blistering injury. 

"What! What is it?" Dirk and June asked at the same time, earning a jinx from the both of them.

"The spine, it- its... The venom." Quint sputtered out, feeling defeated while falling onto his knees next to the couch. "It'll need a cure."

"So then, why don't you just make one? You're smart enough." Dirk questioned, wincing once he got a look at Jacks hip.

"I just don't know if- if I'll have the time." Quint sobbed. "If it reaches his heart before the anti-virus is administered there will be no reversing it."

June and Dirk looked towards each other anxiously, June carefully walking over to the distraught teen. She placed her hand onto his shoulder as she joined him on the floor, tears prickled her eyes when she looked over the pale face of her friend.

"We've got to try, we can't just give up." She took a shuttered breath. "Dirk and I will get him patched up, you work on the cure." Quint nodded at the plan, wiping the tears off his face to get started. "Dirk, I need you to get some clean water and the first aid kit." She ordered. The taller man saluted before he dashed out of the room to get the items. 

"Alright Jack, let's get you fixed up." June mumbled to herself, feeling a pit in her stomach at the sight of Jack shivering on the couch.

Dirk swiftly returned back to the living room with all of the materials, pulling June out of her head as he entered.

"We've got to act carefully, but quickly." June took a deep breath, ready to take charge of the situation. "As soon as I take the spine out, you have to put pressure onto the wound, the less blood the better. We need to get it cleaned, disinfected, and stitched up."

"Got it, and what if he wakes up?" Dirk questioned, getting nervous at the idea of putting their friend in more pain.

"Then... We hold him down." June replied, Dirk giving her a concerning look. "Look- it might not be the best choice, but it's all we've got, what's important is- is keeping him alive until Quint can make up the cure." 

They both took a deep breath to steady themselves before starting, taking one glance at each other they knew they were both ready as one could be when stitching up someone considered family during the end of the world.

June carefully removed the spine, grimacing when she could feel Jack flinch from underneath her hand as she brushed it against the tender skin.

"Sorry." She stammered, removing the last bit of the spike from his torso.

Dirk was on the wound immediately with pressure the moment the spine was fully removed. June hurried up to wash her hands again, and to grab the bowl of water from the table next to them. 

She made her way back over to the duo on the couch. 

Dirk lifted the cloth he was using to keep pressure on the wound, chucking it onto the ground to dispose of at a later time. Both of them feeling nauseous at the sight of the vines making its way through their friends system.

June used the other cloth and bowl of water to gently clean out the wound.

Once she believed that there were no foreign objects inside the injury Dirk took over for stitches.

"Uhh, June?" He panicked as he felt Jack begin to struggle at the ache from the needle into inflamed skin.

"I know, I've got him, you keep working on those stitches." She replied, placing her weight onto Jacks leg, hoping that it would be enough to keep it still.

As Dirk added more stitches she could hear the injured teen mumbling as he lightly tossed around attempting to get away from the added pain. Each grunt made their stomachs knot up. 

The process was over within time, Dirk only leaving to get more blankets as they noticed that Jack was shivering violently, as if the cold was adding to the pain.

June and Dirk sat down in silence as they felt the weight of the night. 

"Why'd he go off alone again?" June asked sorrowfully, hoping that the universe would answer.

"Why d'ya think? The loser's been alone for most of his life... Have you not heard how many times he's expressed his fear of losing any of us?" Dirk responded.

June contemplated Dirks words as she played with a loose string on her ratty sneakers.

The two of them sat in the quiet, save for the laboured breathing and chattering of teeth they could both clearly hear from the teen across from them. Waiting for something to happen until the sun rose over the horizon.

\--------

Quint got to work on the anti-venom the moment they spit up to do their respective duties. He travelled back to the monster on top of Rover to acquire enough of the toxin.

The teen could feel the bags under his eyes become more prominent as the monster human duo reached the site of the battle, the moment when he realized his best friend hadn't left unscathed played through his head over and over. Becoming warped as he imagined the spine hitting Jack in the chest, or the monster finishing off the injured teen while the others remained oblivious.

Rovers bark shook him out of his trance. Quint hopped off the monster dog.

"Sorry Rover, its just... Hard, I understand why he's so over protective now. It doesn't make it any easier, and..." Quint choked on a sob. "And what if I can't do it? What if I can't complete the anti-venom before it's too late?" Tears slowly made their way down his face. "I don't know what I'll do if I lose my best friend." 

Rover nuzzled against Quint in a caring manner, conveying that he too was worried for the teen.

"Thanks buddy." Quint sadly smiled. "Now let's grab the spines and head back to the treehouse."

Rover woofed in agreement.

Quint snagged three of the spikes, all fallen to the ground when the creature shed them the first time. 

Spines in hand, the young man hopped back onto Rover.

The ride back to the fort Quint thought about the apocalypse, he thought about the good and the bad. He thought about his family, and his new found family within the treehouse. He thought about when he met Jack at the school for the first time a few years before, looking severely out of place trying to impress the people around him. 

Flashback 

Quint had gotten into the school, prepared for another tedious day of beatings and dull classes that he could do in his sleep. It didn't help that he had nobody to consort in, he was constantly unattended by people, they thought that he was nerdy and too lame to hang out with.

He walked down the crowded hallway to his locker like he did everyday, placed his items into the chest, and made his way to his first period class.

Something made him back track, it wasn't the water fountain being clean for the first time, or the couple making out in the corner, but a new student.

It was rare for their small town school to get new students so close to the end of the year, which was usually the perfect opportunity to make a new acquaintance, but from what Quint could tell from this kid was that he wanted to be apart of the more popular groups. Galavanting around the hallways trying to impress the people around him.

Quint shrugged it off, someone like that would never want to be around him.

During his first period class he found out the kids name was Jack Sullivan, he watched as Jack took a seat in the back of the class, pulling out ratty textbooks out of a backpack that looked worse for wear.

It wasn't until lunch that he actually talked to Jack. Quint made his way to the cafeteria, noticing that his usual lonely table in the corner was taken by a defeated looking new kid. 

Quint strut over to the bench, feeling less than confident that his plan would work.

"Hey, is this seat available?" Quint asked, motioning to the seat next to Jack.

"Um, yea... Sorry if I took your spot." Jack replied making to get up.

"No its alright, there's always room to share... I'm Quint by the way." He said while extending his hand. Jack looked hesitant but ultimately decided to shake the offered hand.

"Uhh, Jack." The new kid replied, sitting back into the seat he previously occupied.

"So Jack, what are you doing here in Wakefield?" Quint initiated conversation, while pulling out his lunch.

"Oh, um..." Jack tapped his fingers together in thought. "They thought it would be best for me here, I didn't get much say in the matter."

"I've never moved, but it sounds like a lot to get up and completely have a new environment." Quint spoke.

"Im used to it, I do it quite a bit." Jack shrugged. "You could almost say I'm a pro." He grinned, while flexing like a superhero.

Quint chuckled at the flamboyance of Jack. Frowning disapprovingly at the lack of lunch on Jacks side of the table. "Where's your lunch?"

Jack startled. "Oh! I wasn't too hungry today, nerves and all from starting at a new school." He waved his hand in a dismiss of the subject.

The two chatted until the end of lunch bell rang, Quint felt happy as he walked to his fourth period class.

They met at the table every day during lunch, becoming close friends quickly. His parents were ecstatic when he brought Jack over for the first time. Late night walkie talks became more and more common as they got to know each other better.

Soon enough his house became the after school hang out for them both, he'd always wondered why Jack became jittery each time Quint mentioned meeting at Jack's house instead of his. But one late night talk turned into confessing why, and Quint understood.

They had each other to rely on for the first time in their lives, they both finally had someone they could consider a best friend.

End flashback

Quint was drawn out of this thoughts as they closed in on the fort. Hopping off of Rover, he moved to give the large dog a scratch under the chin. Quint made his way into the treehouse, checking up on June and Dirk on the way in, he stayed quiet to help them keep their focus on patching up the wound.

He returned to his lab, and got to work on making an anti-venom.

\----------------

Quint emerged from his lab hours later, waiting for the results on the current anti-venom before administering it to his friend.

When he reached the living room he was surprised to find Dirk and June sitting quietly on the floor, watching the sun peak through the window.

"Hey guys..." Quint spoke carefully. "You doing alright friends?" 

Watching as their eyes came into focus, he could tell they were doing as well as he was. 

"We're fine Quint." June spoke, exhaustion seeping into her voice. "Do you have a cure yet?"

"Yea man, how are you doing?" Dirk asked, knowing the level of friendship between Jack and Quint.

"I've got a sample of an anti-virus, if it works I don't know yet." Quint answered, spinning around when he heard the tell tale signs of thrashing in ones sleep.

June rose from her position on the floor, stretching out her limbs before making her way over to Jack.

"Jack." June gently shook his arm, recoiling at the heat rolling off of the injured teen, for the first time in the night she noticed the flushed cheeks on his pale face, a sheen of sweat dotted his brow. She gasped at the fluctuation in his health from earlier in the night.

"Quint." She panicked, calling over the scientist. "He's got a fever." 

Quints eyes widened in fear, ripping off the blankets that covered their friend to get to the site of the injury. 

"Dirk, Go get some more water and a few cloths, we've got to get him cooled down." June ordered, as she moved to help Quint take the multiple blankets off.

Dirk returned by the time all of the blankets were on the floor of the treehouse. June snatched the items out of his hands, placing them onto Jacks head, and under his neck.

Quint bas busy looking around the wound itself, not needing to take the bandage off to tell that the toxin was spreading quicker than he had first thought. The green veins had moved from the hip up the side of his torso.

"Quint?" June paused, feeling heartbroken at the sight of the defeated teen beside her. "It's bad, isn't it?" Quint nodded silently.

"We can only hope that this version of the anti-venom works... if not."

None of them wanted to think about the possibility of the cure not working.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally this was suppose to be a one shot, but I kinda got carried away  
> Welp, that's fine
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Jacks vision felt hazy when he woke up, looking around he was amazed.

"Why am I back in the Robinsons house?" He asked himself, feeling more and more confused as the moments went on.

Picking himself up from his makeshift bed of old laundry he found himself standing in what was more like a closet used as his room back inside his last foster families house.

"But... I swear the end of the world happened." He spoke out loud, taking in the details of the room.

"JACK!" The boy in question startled when he heard the booming voice of Mr. Robinson.

"What is going on?" He asked himself.

"JACK! GET OUT HERE NOW!" Mr. Robinson demanded, Jack scrambled out of his room into the kitchen where the man was waiting for him.

"Yes sir?" He asked hesitantly with his eyes to the ground, still puzzled by the events happening.

"You're up late Sullivan." The older man hissed, stepping into Jacks space.

"I'm sorry sir, I just had a... A really weird dream about the end of the world." Jack responded, wincing as he felt a pressure in his head.

"Well la dee da, having dreams again aren't we? You know the terms of this house when we took your sorry ass in." Jack flinched back as the man pushed him against the wall, trapping the small boy. "Now, are you going to get to work, or do you need another lesson boy?" 

Jack panicked, ducking underneath of the arm keeping him pinned to the wall as he ran outside to start his daily list of chores.

\-------

Throughout the day, Jacks mind kept wandering towards the apocalypse, it had felt so real to him, to have a real family within Quint, June, and even Dirk, it was almost a dream come true. But... was it too good? Is that where he went wrong in thinking it was reality? 

"JEFF!" Jack flung himself around to face a fuming Mrs. Robinson. "Why have you stopped young man?" 

Jack looked around the yard of leaves that he had been raking not noticing that he'd been staring at the fence for five minutes contemplating his dream from the night before.

"Are- Are you real?" Jack asked, finding himself face down in the grass before he could get another word out.

He gently touched his throbbing cheek, realizing that the woman had slapped him for his words. He looked up at her towering form, feeling small compared to her.

"You BRAT!" Jack yelped as her long nails pierced the skin on his arm, dragging him back into the house.

"Please! I'm sorry!" Jack stammered.

"Hush, You're such a disappointment, no wonder you keep getting given up, nobody wants a useless nobody like you." Each word puncturing his heart. Each word something he told himself everyday, but feeling more certain coming from somebody else. The headache from earlier pounding against his skull.

"I know ma'am..." Jack mumbled defeated. His eyes becoming glassy with tears.

"Good, now you know why we put up with you?" Mrs. Robinson asked with distain. Letting go of his arm in the kitchen.

"Because nobody else will?" Jack replied, rubbing the indents of her nails.

"Thats right." She pushed a glass cup off of the side of the counter. Jack flinched as the cup made contact with the ground, shattering into many tiny pieces. "Because we're the only ones that will put up with you." She looked at the broken glass with disgust. "Clean that up- and use your hands, I don't know where our broom went." She spoke sweetly, walking away from the mess. 

Jack bent down to pick up the glass, wincing at the slivers embedding themselves into his hand. A sharp pain flared into both of his palms as his foster brother knocked into him, sending both of his hands right into the mess. The kid running off with wicked laugher at Jacks expense.

Too stunned to think, Jack turned his shaking hands over to assess the damage. Holding in a sob at the sight of the battered skin, he begun to pick out each fragment of glass stuck in the digits. 

Jack hadn't realized how much time had passed until he had the whole mess cleaned up, the garbage taken out, and the kitchen its self tidied up. 

Once finished, he took the trek to the living room where he knew Mrs. Robinson would be sitting watching her soap operas. 

"Ma'am?" Jack asked hesitantly.

"What do you want?" She inquired, not bothering to take her eyes off of the screen in front of her.

"Im finished... What would you like me to do now?"

Her grin turned sweet as she looked over at the teen. "You know- I don't think you've learned your lesson." "I think that you need to spend a couple days alone in your room to think about your actions." 

Jack stumbled back at the suggestion, but ultimately decided it would be best to keep the woman from getting angered. "Yes Ma'am."

Mrs. Robinson rose from the couch, leading the way towards the room Jack stayed in. Jack debated for a moment, before accepting his fate and walking into the closet.

He flinched at the sound of the padlock on the door clicking closed.

Enveloped by the dark room, Jack silently cried himself to sleep.

\---------------------

"JACK!" 

Jacks conscious faded in to someone shouting and shaking his arm. 

"JACK WAKE UP!"

Jack opened his eyes into slivers, getting a face full of his worried best friend.

"Mmm, Quint?" He croaked, feeling drowsy and lightheaded.

Quint breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of his friend awake. "Hey buddy, you were having a pretty bad nightmare... Definitely made us all concerned." Jack looked around the room at the sentence, noticing June and Dirk standing behind Quint with equally worried expressions.

"Do you want to talk about it friend?" Quint asked, placing a comforting hand on Jacks shoulder.

"Robinsons." Jack mumbled. Quint looked crestfallen at the revelation, knowing exactly what happened with the last foster family.

"Robinsons? What does that mean Quint?" June inquired, as she made her way closer. Quint looked towards Jack for approval to tell the other two about the family. Jack nodding slightly.

Quint took a deep breath, knowing that it was a rough subject for his best friend. "The Robinsons... They were Jacks last foster family before the apocalypse happened." "They weren't the nicest people, and did some bad things. Things that hurt Jack."

"UGH! I wish they were still alive, just so I could pound them!" June and Quint startled at Dirks outburst. Jack groaning as he turned his head towards the back of the couch.

"You're alright, Nobody is going to hurt you friend." Quint reassured, while motioning for June and Dirk to step back. 

Quint remembered the night the Jack had shown up to his house, it was a week before the apocalypse. He remembered being confused at seeing Jack on his front porch from his room, looking hesitant to ring the doorbell. The feeling of hatred towards the foster family once Jack told him about running away from the Robinsons due to them becoming violent. The fear that crossed his best friends face when he told him that the Robinsons were giving him up once again, his date to move would be in two weeks time. 

In a way, Quint was glad for the apocalypse, without it Jack would once again be across the country, and Quint would be without a friend once more.

"Do you need any water?" June asked, holding out a cup they had stolen at some point. Jack nodded reaching up to grab the cup. He quickly recoiled as he moved the injury on his torso.

"What- What happened?" Jack asked once he grabbed his bearings from the throbbing wound.

"Our last fight, didn't exactly end too well." June started. "One of the monsters spines managed to get you."

"Oh." Jack breathed. His bloodshot eyes standing out as he looked up at them all.

"Oh? You've been impaled and all you have to say is OH!" June snapped, more out of worry than anger.

"June!" Quint raised his eyebrows at the girl.

"Sorry, it's just stressful, I shouldn't have snapped."

"Hey Dirk, can you stay with Jack? I think June needs a few minutes." Quint asked, leading the girl out of the room and over to the lab where he could see if the anti-virus was working.

"Alright June, let's talk." Quint dictated, sitting with a poof of the old chair.

"About what?" June questioned, looking confused, while trying to get a glance at the readings that she couldn't understand.

"About everything. Yes Jack may be the one who's injured, but I can tell it's having an impact on us all." Quint responded, jotting down another reading.

"Oh... I don't know- Im frustrated, and angry, and scared..." June took a shaky breath, wrapping her arms around herself. 

"Words." Quint added sympathetically as he noticed her shutting him out.

"It's just, we've already lost so much, for all we know we could be the only family each other has left... It's terrifying to think we could lose any one of each other at the drop of a hat." June teared up.

"I won't disagree with you, I have the same thoughts daily. It's the apocalypse, there are dangerous monsters running around... It's the days we're all together that we have to appreciate." Quint responded.

June chuckled. "Jack's had it right the whole time, he's been the one who brought us all together. It's been so hectic lately that we haven't had a good moment of just the four of us goofing off."

"No." Quint smiled. "No we haven't."

"Hows the cure coming along?" June asked after a few moments.

Quint sighed. 

"Quint?" She became alarmed at the sight of tears dripping down his cheeks. "Whats wrong?"

"It didn't work..." 

June gasped, feeling her heart drop to her stomach. "No, there- there has to be another way!"

"June." Quint spoke.

"No! Quint we can't give up!" June sobbed.

"June! Jack is my best friend, I wish as much as you that there was another way, but there isn't enough time." Quint broke down. "All we can do is make him comfortable..."

"No-" June was cut off by Dirk yelling from the other room.

The duo raced back to the living room, the sight that met them terrified the group. They stood like statues as Jack convulsed on the couch.

"He- He passed out again, then started shaking, he won't stop!" Dirk panicked.

Quint rushed over to the teen, checking the veins that had reached his chest. He could feel the heat rolling off of his best friend.

June gasped running out of the treehouse. 

"JUNE!" Dirk shouted, confused by the girls actions.

"Bardle!" Was all she had time to say before she was down the ladder into the town.

Jack grunted from beside Quint. 

Both Quint and Dirk let out a sigh as Jack slumped back onto the couch as the the convulsions had finally passed.

"Common man, you can't do this to us!" Dirk weeped from the other side of the couch.

"Im sorry Jack, I couldn't help you." Quint cried, resting his head next to his friends hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was actually the chapter that have me the idea for the fic, its feels very Harry Potter esque to me.
> 
> Hope Y'all enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 4

June raced into the town, she had a suspicion that the mystic would be in his home. 

Bardle was their last hope, if Bardle couldn't help, then Jack would be lost for good.

She burst into the garage that Bardle used as a home, startling the mystic from his practice.

"Human." He spoke nonchalantly, standing up at the sight of her panicked posture. "What can I help you with on this fine night?" 

"Theres no time, Jacks in trouble, he was hit by a monster spine earlier, and now it's poisoning him. Please you have to have something that will help him." June insisted.

"I may, come, we will head to your abode, I will see if I can help him." Bardle responded, leading them back to the treehouse.

They ran the way to the treehouse, trying to beat the clock. 

When they returned Quint was hyperventilating on the floor, and Dirk was trying to comfort a screaming Jack.

"JACK!" June dashed over to her friend, afraid to touch the teen in fear of hurting him any more. The veins were glowing more prominently and she could tell they were excruciating for Jack.

"Friends! We must stay calm!" Bartle spoke up, gathering the attention of everyone in the room.

"Bartle?" Dirk questioned. 

"Your friend June asked me to help, and luckily for you just in the nick of time." Bartle answered, walking closer to Jack. "Oh my."

"What is it?" Quint asked.

"I've seen this before, it's called a vine crackle, their venom is extremely toxic, as you all can see. It works very quickly. I have the antidote in my lair, we must act quickly if we want to save Jack."

"Alright, what do you want us to do?" June asked, gathering the other two and ready to respond to Bartles orders.

"You three cool him down, the venom depends on the heat to move through the body, one of you will need to unwrap the site of the wound, I will be back in moments with the cure." Bartle commanded.

The group moved quickly, using cold cloths to cool down their friend, June quickly unwrapping the bandaged injury while Bartle ran back to the garage. The raw screams from their friend unsettled them all, but knew they had to work to do.

Shorty before Bartle returned, Jack fell limp on the couch, the screams cutting out immediately.

"No, no, no, JACK!" Quint yelled out, the concern returning full force.

"Come on Jack, you can't leave us yet you goofball." June sobbed. Grabbing on to Jacks hand and holding it to her chest. 

"BARTLE! Hurry up man!" Dirk raced onto the porch of the treehouse, calling out for the mystic. The man dashed over to the fort, and used his magic to hover back into the home.

"I need you all out of the way." Bartle explained, rushing over to the teen. The trio moved to behind the couch while they allowed Bartle to work.

"I believe in you cool guy 5." Quint added, hoping that the encouragement would help.

Bartle worked quickly, taking a red substance and injecting it into the wound. The group held their breaths while they waited for something to happen. 

"Im sorry, we were too late." Bartle spoke after a minute, Jacks breathing had ceased.

Quint broke down and fell to his knees.

"No, it-it can't be." June cried out, slamming her hands onto the back of the couch.

"We... Failed?" Dirk said defeated. Walking over to the closet they had added for punching, Dirk threw his hand right into the wood, splintering it.

The group became quiet and solum, the shadows feeling a lot darker, while a heaviness weighed upon the room.

All of a sudden they all heard a sharp inhale from from Jack followed by a set of harsh coughs, the team gasping in surprise as they watched the green veins recede from his heart.

The group rushed over to help their friend encouraging him to wake up. 

Slowly Jack opened his eyes, June moving to help the boy sit up and clear his chest of the coughs.

"What- Bartle?" Jack spoke groggily, feeling completely out of it with stiff muscles.

"JACK!" Quint threw himself towards his best friend, enveloping him in a hug, June and Dirk joining in all with tears shining on their faces.

"We thought you died man!" Dirk bawled.

Jack yelped at the contact, the injury getting stretched from the quick movement.

"Sorry!" All three of the teens apologized at once as they jumped away from Jack.

Jack stifled another cough, hunching over to ease the pain.

Jack flinched away at the feeling of a hand on his forehead."Oh thank god, the fevers broken." Quint breathed in relief .

"Would someone care to fill me in?" Jack requested, looking towards his found family for answers.

"Well you were stabbed, stabby was filled with poison, poison almost killed you, but Bartle here saved you." Dirk responded, Jacks eyes widened at the words.

"Wow, um, thanks guys." Jack added, looking towards each of his friends faces noticing they were all concerned. "Im alright now, don't worry."

"Not exactly, the venom may be gone, but I would still advise resting until you are fully healed." Bartle insisted, pointing to Jacks hip where the wound still was.

"Heh, that's probably a good idea." Jack shrugged, wincing at the action.

Jack glanced back up to his family, understanding that they were still worried. 

"Get in here all of you." Jack motioned for them with wide arms. Quint was the first to oblige, wrapping his arms around his friends torso. June joined in once she realized that she needed it, sitting on the other side of Jack adding to the group hug. Dirk didn't want to be left out, bounding over to the back of the couch and squeezing the groups shoulders.

The group felt content for the first time that day, ecstatic to know that their happy go lucky team mate was going to be ok.

Bartle left the tree house silently, looking back at the mismatched family with a smile on his face before retreating back to his garage.

\-------------------

"JACK THE MANIAC!" Skaelka shouted in the town square.

It had been two weeks since the incident, Jack was up and walking around for the first time with the help of his hockey stick. He looked up at the woman and waved his free hand.

The team stayed around him, being there for him as moral support. They were glad he was finally getting around, as the teen was driving them crazy about getting out of the tree house.

The wound still twinged every so often, but didn't bother Jack as much as it did the first few days.

The group walked over to one of the picnic benched outside of Joe's Pizza, all of them sitting down.

Chef walked over with a pizza, welcoming Jack back as he placed the food onto the table.

Skaelka and Bartle joined the group, enjoying the nice day and the feeling of being a while team again.

Jack looked towards his crazy mismatched family of humans and monsters alike, the apocalypse may have ended the world, but to them it started a whole other story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all, thanks for reading!  
> Honestly, this fandom needs way more content, it's got such a good plot and idk why nobody has figured it out yet.  
> Super excited for season 4 on Netflix, it sounds like it'll be good!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Comments and Kudos make my day!


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